Democrats Lag in Voter Registration

By

Laura Meckler

December 28, 2011

Before Barack Obama's razor-thin victory in North Carolina in 2008, new Democratic voters flooded onto the rolls there. For every Republican who registered to vote, more than two Democrats did the same, fueling Mr. Obama's win in a state that hadn't backed a Democrat for president in 32 years.

Today, far fewer people are registering, and the enormous Democratic advantage among new voters in North Carolina has vanished, according to new data from Catalist, a group with Democratic ties that studies voter rolls.